Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC shown off at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza

Hyundai Motorsport has shown off its latest creation – the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC – that it will be using to compete in the 2017 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC).

The Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC is the third new car for Hyundai Motorsport ever since the car’s debut at the Championship back in 2014. The latest i20 Coupe WRC has been designed to meet WRC’s raft of new technical regulations and was shown off at a media event today at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy. The previous two version of the car were the Hyundai i20 WRC (2014-15) and the New Generation i20 WRC (2016).

Hyundai has given the new i20 Coupe WRC a much more aggressive look and equipped it with advanced technologies. Most of the changes to the car center on improving aerodynamic and mechanical grip, and there has been an increase in engine power from 300 to 380bhp as well as a reduction in the overall weight of the car.

With the new car, the team hopes to build on its most successful season to date, in which it secured two victories and an additional ten podium finishes. Hyundai Motorsport also second place overall in the Manufacturers Championship in the 2016 season.

Hyundai says that with the changes in the regulation of the race, there is a lot of enthusiasm and offers an opportunity to put into practice everything that they have learned and experienced in the past three seasons. With the teams starting from scratch for this season, everyone is on an equal footing and will give each one of them opportunity to demonstrate their abilities to fight for the Championship next season.

There will be an unchanged driver line-up for 2017, which will offer the team important stability with the introduction of a new car. Thierry Neuville, Hayden Paddon and Dani Sordo will contest all rounds of the Championship.

As manufacturers will be able to field up to three cars in each round, Hyundai Motorsport’s three drivers will run under a unified banner in 2017: the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team.